Elisabet Ney Museum
Water We Doing
RECEIVED Fri., March 31, 2023
Dear Editor,
I am pleased to learn that $2.48 million for the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University will be used to create a playbook based on climate change research for the Legislature to use. Providing a publicly available tool that enables regional water planners to incorporate climate impacts into their management plans is an excellent approach to inform policymakers and can help bridge the gap between accurate science and legislation. However despite the new bipartisan Water Caucus and Republican committee chairs' public recognition of future water scarcity, it is unlikely that Texas will undertake much climate change planning in the near future, mainly due to a lack of Republican support.
Having grown up in Austin, I have personally witnessed the alarming reduction of Highland Lakes levels due to low inflows, increased evaporation, and industry growth in recent years, which has drained the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. Although solutions such as Austin's Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project may postpone the adverse effects of climate change on our water supply, water scarcity will continue to worsen. Soon, Austin's growing population and industry will not have enough water to sustain themselves. We do not have the time or resources to wait for legislators to realize that climate change is an issue worth addressing. Achieving strong bipartisan support to mitigate climate change is critical. Climate change is already causing significant and potentially irreversible damage. Evidence demonstrates that it is primarily caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The lack of complete support for climate change mitigation planning in Texas is hindering the urgent progress we should be making.
I am pleased to learn that $2.48 million for the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University will be used to create a playbook based on climate change research for the Legislature to use. Providing a publicly available tool that enables regional water planners to incorporate climate impacts into their management plans is an excellent approach to inform policymakers and can help bridge the gap between accurate science and legislation. However despite the new bipartisan Water Caucus and Republican committee chairs' public recognition of future water scarcity, it is unlikely that Texas will undertake much climate change planning in the near future, mainly due to a lack of Republican support.
Having grown up in Austin, I have personally witnessed the alarming reduction of Highland Lakes levels due to low inflows, increased evaporation, and industry growth in recent years, which has drained the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. Although solutions such as Austin's Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project may postpone the adverse effects of climate change on our water supply, water scarcity will continue to worsen. Soon, Austin's growing population and industry will not have enough water to sustain themselves. We do not have the time or resources to wait for legislators to realize that climate change is an issue worth addressing. Achieving strong bipartisan support to mitigate climate change is critical. Climate change is already causing significant and potentially irreversible damage. Evidence demonstrates that it is primarily caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The lack of complete support for climate change mitigation planning in Texas is hindering the urgent progress we should be making.
Sincerely,
I.T.
I.T.
